[lamp of non-dual knowledge]...1 advaita bodha deepika advaita bodha deepika or the lamp of non-dual...

[LAMP OF NON-DUAL KNOWLEDGE]

Sri RamanasramamTiruvannamalai

2002

ADVAITA BODHA DEEPIKA

FOREWORDFOREWORDFOREWORDFOREWORDFOREWORD

Originally Sri Shankaracharya and other great Sages hadwritten several works like the commentary on the Vedanta Sutrasand thus furnished the methods for those engaged in Self enquiryto accomplish their purpose.

From those, Sri Karapatra Swami later condensed thesalient points into Sanskrit verse in a work of twelve chapters,called Sri Advaita Bodha Deepika.

Still later, some great man seems to have translated thisinto Tamil prose. For some unknown reasons only some eightchapters of the same are found published. They are:

1. Adhyaropa = Super imposition.2. Apavada = Its removal.3. Sadhana = The means of accomplishment.4. Sravana = Hearing, reading, talking about God.5. Manana = Reflecting on sravana.6. Vasanakshaya = Annihilation of latencies.7. Sakshatkara = Direct Realisation.8. Manonasa = Extinction of the mind.In this work the author has explained how Ignorance obscures

the true nature of the Self which is non-dual only; how by itsveiling aspect it covers It (the Self) with two effects — ‘that It doesnot exist’ and ‘that It does not shine forth’, how by its other aspect,in the shape of the mind, projecting individuals, Iswara and theworld and presenting them as real, thus giving rise to illusion; howone fully qualified is alone fit to obtain this knowledge; how a barescholar of the shastras cannot be fit; how enquiry is the chief meansfor knowledge; how this enquiry consists in hearing of, reflectingupon and contemplation of TRUTH, and Samadhi; how theindirect knowledge gained by hearing puts an end to the idea that‘It does not exist’ and the direct knowledge gained by reflection,which means enquiry ‘WHO I AM’ and seeking within, destroys

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the wrong notion that ‘It does not shine forth’; how the knowledgeof THOU in THAT THOU ART is identical with the knowledgeof THAT; how by meditation the different latencies perishing whichwere the obstacles on the way and the mind which is the limitingadjunct (upadhi) of the individual perishes too and by the eventualunobstructed realisation of BRAHMAN (God) the Seeker becomesfree from the bondage of the three kinds of Karma which form thecycle of births and deaths; how in truth there is neither bondagenor release for the SELF and in what way to extinguish the mind.

Thinking that this will be helpful to Seekers of LiberationSri Ramanananda Saraswathi (formerly MunagalaVenkataramiah) a devotee of Bhagavan has by the grace of SriRamana rendered into English the eight chapters of the worknow available. The last four chapters, Savikalpa Samadhi,Nirvikalpa Samadhi, Jivan Mukti, and Videha Mukti not beingfound in Tamil, Telugu or Sanskrit Manuscripts could not betranslated into English. Information on the missing chapters isearnestly sought and will be gratefully acknowledged by thepublisher.

Our grateful thanks are due to H. H. Smt. Shanta DeviMaharani of Baroda and H. H. the Maharaja of Travancore forsending us the original Sanskrit Manuscripts of this work fromthe State Libraries for Maharshi’s consultation and return.

This book is one of the few esteemed by Sri Maharshi andthis translation was thoroughly revised in His Presence. So weare encouraged to present this small volume to the public withfull confidence that the reader will benefit by it.

PUBLISHER.

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ADADADADADVVVVVAITAITAITAITAITA BODHA DEEPIKAA BODHA DEEPIKAA BODHA DEEPIKAA BODHA DEEPIKAA BODHA DEEPIKAOR

THE LAMP OF NON-DUAL KNOWLEDGE

INTRODUCTORY

1. I salute the holy feet of the Supreme Lord, the Refugeof all the universe, the One Means to kill the samsara (thecycle of births and deaths), the Eternal God Ganesa ofelephant face!

2. I meditate on the holy master known as ChidambaraBrahman, the very being of the non-dual Supreme Self, Itsvery Bliss and the foremost yogi among men by whose lightglance I, a fool blinded by the massive darkness of beginninglessIgnorance, gained the precious jewel of Jnana (Wisdom)!

3. I meditate on that holy master, by contact with the dustof whose lotus feet men are able easily to cross the shorelessocean of samsara, as if it were only a span.

4-5. To those who are fitted (by all) their sins having beenburnt off by austerities (practised) in several past births, theirminds made pure, their intellects discriminating the real fromthe unreal, themselves indifferent to the pleasures of either thisor the other world, their minds and senses under control,passions held down, actions given up as a worthless burden,faith firm and minds tranquil, eagerly seeking release frombondage, this work — SRI ADVAITA BODHA DEEPIKA —is presented in twelve short chapters.

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6. Many different works on Advaita have already appearedfrom Masters of yore, like Sri Sankaracharya and Vidyaranya;yet as a fond parent loves to hear the broken words of the lispingchild, so also good people with large hearts can read this workas well, imperfect as it may be.

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CHAPTER I

ON SUPERIMPOSITION ON SUPERIMPOSITION ON SUPERIMPOSITION ON SUPERIMPOSITION ON SUPERIMPOSITION

7. Greatly afflicted by the three kinds of distress (tapa-traya),intensely seeking release from bondage so as to be free fromthis painful existence, a disciple distinguished by long practiceof the four fold sadhana, approaches a worthy master and prays:

8-12. Lord, master, ocean of mercy, I surrender to you!Pray save me!

Master: Save you from what?Disciple: From the fear of recurring births and deaths.Master: Leave the samsara and fear not.Disciple: Unable to cross this vast ocean of samsara, I fear

recurring births and deaths. So I have surrendered to you. It isfor you to save me!

Master: What can I do for you?Disciple: Save me. I have no other refuge. Just as water is

the only thing to put out the flames when the hair of one’s headis on fire, so also a sage such as you are, is the sole refuge ofpeople like me who are on fire from the three kinds of distress.You are free from the illusion of samsara, calm in mind andsunk deep in the incomparable Bliss of Brahman which isbeginningless and endless. Certainly you can save this poorcreature. Pray do!

Master: What is it to me if you suffer?Disciple: Saints like you cannot bear to see others suffer, as

a father his child. Motiveless is your love for all beings. You arethe Guru common to all, the only boat to carry us across thisocean of samsara.

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Master: Now, what makes you suffer?Disciple: Bitten by the cruel serpent of painful samsara, I

am dazed and I suffer. Master, pray save me from this burninghell and kindly tell me how I can be free.

13-17. M.: Well said, my Son! You are intelligent and welldisciplined. There is no need to prove your competence to be adisciple. Your words clearly show that you are fit. Now lookhere, my child!

In the Supreme Self of Being-Knowledge-Bliss who canbe the transmigrating being? How can this samsara be? Whatcould have given rise to it? And how and whence can it ariseitself? Being the non-dual Reality, how can you be deluded?With nothing separate in deep sleep, not having changed inany manner, and having slept soundly and peacefully, a foolon waking shouts out “Alas, I am lost!” How can you, thechangeless, formless, Supreme, Blissful Self shout forth “Itransmigrate — I am miserable!” and so on? Truly there isneither birth nor death; no one to be born or to die; nothingof the kind!

D.: What does exist then?M.: There exists only the beginningless, endless, non-dual,

never bound, ever free, pure, aware, single, Supreme, BlissKnowledge.

18. D.: If so, tell me how this mighty massive delusion ofsamsara veils me in dense darkness like a mass of clouds in therainy season.

19-20. M.: What can be said of the power of this Illusion(Maya)! As a man mistakes a post for a man, so also you mistakethe non-dual, perfect Self for an individual. Being deluded youare miserable. But how does this illusion arise? Like a dream insleep this false samsara appears in the illusion of ignorance whichis itself unreal. Hence your mistake.

21-24. D.: What is this ignorance?

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M.: Listen. In the body appears a phantom, the ‘false-I’, toclaim the body for itself and it is called jiva. This jiva alwaysoutward bent, taking the world to be real and himself to be thedoer and experiencer of pleasures and pains, desirous of thisand that, undiscriminating, not once remembering his truenature, nor enquiring “Who am I?, What is this world?”, is butwandering in the samsara without knowing himself. Suchforgetfulness of the Self is Ignorance.

25. D.: All the shastras proclaim that this samsara is thehandiwork of Maya but you say it is of Ignorance. How are thetwo statements to be reconciled?

M.: This Ignorance is called by different names such as Maya,Pradhana, Avyakta (the unmanifest), Avidya, Nature, Darknessand so on. Therefore the samsara is but the result of Ignorance.

26. D.: How does this ignorance project the samsara?M.: Ignorance has two aspects: Veiling and Projection

(Avarana—Vikshepa). From these arises the samsara. Veilingfunctions in two ways. In the one we say “It is not” and in theother “It does not shine forth.”

27-28. D.: Please explain this.M.: In a discourse between a master and a student, although

the sage teaches that there is only the non-dual Reality theignorant man thinks “What can be non-dual Reality? No. Itcannot be.” As a result of beginningless veiling, though taught,the teaching is disregarded and the old ideas persist. Suchindifference is the first aspect of veiling.

29-30. Next, with the help of sacred books and graciousmasters he unaccountably but sincerely believes in the non-dual Real, yet he cannot probe deep but remains superficialand says “The Reality does not shine forth.” Here is knowledgeknowing that It does not shine forth yet the illusion ofignorance persists. This illusion that It does not shine forth, isthe second aspect of veiling.

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31-32. D.: What is Projection?M.: Though he is the unchanging, formless, Supreme, Blissful,

non-dual Self, the man thinks of himself as the body with handsand legs, the doer and experiencer; objectively sees this man andthat man, this thing and that thing, and is deluded. This delusionof perceiving the external universe on the non-dual Realityenveloped by it, is Projection. This is Superimposition.

33. D.: What is Superimposition?M.: To mistake something which is, for something

which is not — like a rope for a snake, a post for a thief, andmirage for water. The appearance of a false thing on a real issuperimposition.

34. D.: What is here the unreal superimposition on thereal thing, the substratum?

M.: The non-dual Being-Knowledge-Bliss or the SupremeBrahman is the Reality. Just as the false name and form of snakeis superimposed on a rope, so also on the non-dual Reality thereis superimposed the category of sentient beings and insentientthings. Thus the names and forms which appear as the universe,make up the superimposition. This is the unreal phenomenon.

D.: In the Reality which is non-dual, who is there to bringabout this superimposition?

M.: It is Maya.D.: What is Maya?35. M.: It is the ignorance about the aforesaid Brahman.D.: What is this Ignorance?M.: Though the Self is Brahman, there is not the knowledge

of the Self (being Brahman). That which obstructs this knowledgeof the Self is Ignorance.

D.: How can this project the world?M.: Just as ignorance of the substratum, namely the rope,

projects the illusion of a snake, so Ignorance of Brahman projectsthis world.

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36. M.: It must be regarded an illusion because it issuperimposed and does not exist either before (perception) orafter (knowledge).

D.: How can it be said that it does not exist either before(perception) or after (knowledge)?

M.: In order to be created, it could not have been beforecreation (i.e. it comes into existence simultaneously with orafter creation); in dissolution it cannot exist; now in the intervalit simply appears like a magic-born city in mid air. Inasmuch asit is not seen in deep sleep, shocks and Samadhi, it follows thateven now it is only a super imposition and therefore an illusion.

37. D.: Before creation and in dissolution if there is noworld, what can exist then?

M.: There is only the basic Existence, not fictitious, non-dual, undifferentiated, ab extra and ab intra (Sajatiya, vijatiya,and svagata bheda), Being-Knowledge-Bliss, the unchangingReality.

D.: How is it known?M.: The Vedas say “Before creation there was only Pure

Being.” Yoga Vasishta also helps us to understand it.D.: How?38. M.: “In dissolution the whole universe is withdrawn

leaving only the Single Reality which stays motionless, beyondspeech and thought, neither darkness nor light, yet perfect,namely, untellable, but not void,” says Yoga Vasishta.

39. D.: In such Non duality how can the universe arise?M.: Just as in the aforesaid rope snake, the ignorance of

the real substratum lies hidden in the rope, so also in the basicReality there lies hidden Ignorance otherwise called Maya orAvidya. Later this gives rise to all these names and forms.

40-41. This maya which is dependent on the unrelatedKnowledge-Bliss-Reality, has the two aspects of veiling andprojection (avarna and vikshepa); by the former it hides its

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own substratum from view, and by the latter the unmanifestmaya is made manifest as mind. This then sports with itslatencies which amounts to projecting this universe with allthe names and forms.

42. D.: Has anyone else said this before?M.: Yes, Vasishta to Rama.D.: How?43-50. M.: “The powers of Brahman are infinite. Among

them that power becomes manifest through which it shinesforth.”

D.: What are those different powers?M.: Sentience in sentient beings; movement in air;

solidity in earth; fluidity in water; heat in fire; void in theether; decaying tendency in the perishable; and many moreare well known. These qualities remained unmanifest andlater manifested themselves. They must have been latent inthe non-dual Brahman like the glorious colours of peacockfeathers in the yolk of its egg or the spread out banyan treein the tiny seed.

D.: If all powers lay latent in the Single Brahman why didthey not manifest simultaneously ?

M.: Look how the seeds of trees, plants, herbs, creepers,etc. are all contained in the earth but only some of themsprout forth according to the soil, climate and season. Soalso the nature and extent of powers for manifestation aredetermined by conditions. At the time Brahman (thesubstratum of all the powers of Maya), joins the power ofthinking, this power manifests as mind. Thus Maya so longdormant suddenly starts forth as mind from the SupremeBrahman, the common source of all. Then this mind fashionsall the universe. So says Vasishta.

51. D.: What is the nature of this mind which forms thepower of projection of Maya?

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M.: To recollect ideas or latencies is its nature. It has latenciesas its content and appears in the witnessing consciousness intwo modes — “I” and “This”.

D.: What are these modes?M.: They are the concept “I” and the concepts “this”,

“that”, etc.52. D.: How is this I-mode superimposed on the witnessing

consciousness ?M.: Just as silver superimposed on nacre presents the nacre

as silver, so also the I-mode on the basic witness presents it as“I”, i.e. the ego, as if the witness were not different from theego but were the ego itself.

53. Just as a person possessed by a spirit is deluded andbehaves as altogether a different person, so also the witnesspossessed by the I-mode forgets its true nature and presentsitself as the ego.

54. D.: How can the unchanging witness mistake itself forthe changing ego?

M.: Like a man in delirium feeling himself lifted in air, ora drunken man beside himself, or a madman ravingincoherently, or a dreamer going on dream-journeys, or a manpossessed behaving in strange ways, the witness though itselfuntainted and unchanged, yet under the malicious influence ofthe phantom ego, appears changed as “I”.

55. D.: Does the I-mode of mind present the witness alteredas the ego, or itself appear modified as the ego in the witness?

56-57. M.: Now this question cannot arise, for having noexistence apart from the Self, it cannot manifest of itself.Therefore it must present the Self as if modified into the ego.

D.: Please explain it more.M.: Just as the ignorance factor in the rope cannot project

itself as snake but must make the rope look like a snake; that inwater unable to manifest itself, makes the water manifest as

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foam, bubbles and waves; that in fire, itself unable, makes thefire display itself as sparks; that in clay cannot present itself butpresents the clay as a pot, so also the power in the witness cannotmanifest itself but presents the witness as the ego.

58-60. D.: Master, how can it be said that through mayathe Self is fragmented into individual egos? The Self is not relatedto anything else; it remains untainted and unchanged like ether.How can maya affect it? Is it not as absurd to speak offragmentation of the Self as to say “I saw a man taking hold ofether and moulding it into a man; or fashioning air into a cask?”I am now sunk in the ocean of samsara. Please rescue me.

61. M.: Maya is called Maya because it can make theimpossible possible. It is the power which brings into view whatwas not always there, like a magician making his audience see acelestial city in mid air. If a man can do this, can maya not dothat? There is nothing absurd in it.

62-66. D.: Please make it clear to me.M.: Now consider the power of sleep to call forth dream

visions. A man lying on a cot in a closed room falls asleep andin his dream wanders about taking the shapes of birds and beasts;the dreamer sleeping in his home, the dream presents him aswalking in the streets of Benares or on the sands of Setu; althoughthe sleeper is lying unchanged yet in his dream he flies up in theair, falls headlong into an abyss, or cuts off his own hand andcarries it in his hand. In the dream itself there is no question ofconsistency or otherwise. Whatever is seen in it appears to beappropriate and is not criticised. If simple sleep can make theimpossible possible what wonder can there be in the AlmightyMaya creating this indescribable universe? It is its very nature.

67-74. To illustrate it, I shall briefly tell you a story fromYoga Vasishta. There was once a king named Lavana, a jewel ofIkshvaku line. One day when all were assembled in the courthall, a magician appeared before him. Quickly he approached

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the king, saluted and said “Your Majesty, I shall show you a wonder,look!” At once he waved a flail of peacock feathers before the king.The king was dazed, forgot himself and saw a great illusion like anextraordinary dream. He found a horse in front of him, mountedit and rode on it hunting in a forest. After hunting long, he wasthirsty, could not find water and grew weary. Just then a low castegirl happened to come there with some coarse food in an earthendish. Driven by hunger and thirst, he cast aside all restrictions ofcaste, and his own sense of dignity, and asked her for food anddrink. She offered to oblige him only if she could be made hislegitimate wife. Without hesitation he agreed, took the food givenby her, and then went to her hamlet where they both lived ashusband and wife and had two sons and one daughter.

All along the king remained on the throne. But in theshort interval of an hour and a half, he had led another illusorylife of wretchedness, extending over several years. In this wayVasishta had related several long stories to Rama in order toimpress on him the wonderful play of Maya by which theimpossible is easily made possible.

75-76. There is no illusion which is beyond the power ofmind to spread, and no one not deluded by it. Its characteristicis to accomplish that which is impossible. Nothing can escapeits power. Even the Self which is always unchanging anduntainted, has been made to look changed and tainted.

D.: How can it be so?M .: See how the sky which is impartite and untainted,

looks blue. The Supreme Self too though always pure has beeninvested by it with the ego and is made to parade as jiva, just asLavana the king lived as a low caste wretch.

77. D.: If the Supreme Self had by joining the I-mode ofthe mind become the illusory jiva he should appear as a singlejiva. But there are many jivas. How can the single Realitymanifest as innumerable jivas?

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78-80. M.: As soon as the illusion of a single jiva becomesoperative in the Pure Supreme Self, it naturally begets otherillusory jivas in the Pure Ether of Knowledge. If a dog enters aroom walled by mirrors, it first gives rise to one reflection inone mirror which by a series of reflections becomes innumerableand the dog finding itself surrounded by so many other dogsgrowls and shows fight. So it is with the Self of pure, non-dualEther of Consciousness. The illusion of one jiva is perforceassociated with illusion of several jivas.

81-83. Again, the habit of seeing the world as you-I-heetc., forces the dreamer to see similar illusory entities in dreamsalso. Similarly the accumulated habits of past births make theSelf which is only pure Knowledge-Ether see numberless illusoryjivas even now. What can be beyond the scope of Maya whichis itself inscrutable? Now this done, listen to how the bodiesand the spheres were created.

84-85. Just as the Supreme Self is presented as “I” by theI-mode of Maya, so also It is presented by the ‘this’ mode as thisuniverse with all its contents.

D.: How?M.: The power of multiplicity is the ‘this’ mode whose

nature is to be imagining ‘this’ and ‘that’. In the Ether ofConsciousness it recollects the millions of latencies, as ‘this’ and‘that’. Being stirred up by these latencies, the jiva though itselfthe Ether of consciousness, now manifests as the individual bodyetc., the external worlds and the diversities.

D.: How?86-89. M.: First, mind appears in the impartite Ether of

Consciousness. Its movements form the aforesaid latencies whichshow forth in various illusory forms, such as “here is the bodywith organs and limbs” — “I am this body” — “here is myfather” — “I am his son” — “my age is such and such” —“these are our relatives and friends” — “this is our house” — “I

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and you” — “this and that” — “good and bad” — “pleasureand pain” — “bondage and release” — “castes, creeds andduties” — “Gods, men and other creatures” — “high, low andmiddling” — “enjoyer and enjoyments” — “many millions ofspheres” — and so on.

D.: How can the latencies themselves appear as this vastuniverse?

90. M.: A man remaining unmoving and happy in deepsleep, when stirred up by the rising latencies, sees illusory dreamvisions of creatures and worlds; they are nothing but the latenciesin him. So in the waking state also he is deluded by the latenciesmanifesting as these creatures and worlds.

91. D.: Now, master, the dream is but the reproduction ofmental impressions formed in the waking state and lyingdormant before. They reproduce past experiences. Thereforedream-visions are rightly said to be only mental creations.Should the same be true of the waking world, this must be thereproduction of some past impressions. What are thoseimpressions which give rise to these waking experiences?

92. M.: Just as the experiences of the waking state give riseto the dream world, so also the experiences of past lives give riseto this world of the waking state, nonetheless illusory.

D.: If the present experience is the result of the precedingone, what gave rise to its preceding one?

M.: That was from its preceding one and so on.D.: This can extend back to the time of creation. In

dissolution all these impressions must have been resolved. Whatwas left there to start the new creation?

M.: Just as your impressions gathered one day lie dormantin deep sleep and become manifest the following day, so alsothe impressions of the preceding cycle (kalpa) reappear in thesucceeding one. Thus these impressions of Maya have nobeginning, but appear over and over again.

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93. D.: Master, what was experienced on previous dayscan now be remembered. Why do we not remember theexperiences of past lives?

94-95. M.: This cannot be. See how the waking experiencesrepeat themselves in the dream but are not apprehended in thesame way as in the waking state, but differently. Why? Becausesleep makes all the difference, in as much as it hides the originalbearings and distorts them, so that the same experience repeatedin the dream is differently set, often aberrant and wobbling.Similarly the experiences of past lives have been affected bycomas and deaths so that the present setting is different fromthe past ones and the same experience repeated in a differentway cannot recall the past.

96. D.: Master, dream visions being only mental creationsare transient and are soon dismissed as unreal. So they areproperly said to be illusory. On the contrary the waking worldis seen to be lasting and all evidence goes to show that it is real.How can it be classified with dreams as being illusory?

97-98. M.: In the dream itself, the visions are experiencedas proven and real; they are not at that time felt to be unreal.Similarly at the time of experience, this waking world also seemsto be proven and real. But when you wake up to your truenature, this will also pass off as unreal.

D.: What then is the difference between the dream andwaking states?

99. M.: Both are only mental and illusory. There can beno doubt of this. Only the waking world is a long drawn outillusion and the dream a short one. This is the only differenceand nothing more.

100. D.: Should waking be only a dream, who is thedreamer here?

M.: All this universe is the dream product of the non-dual,untainted, Knowledge Bliss only.

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D.: But a dream can happen only in sleep. Has the SupremeSelf gone to sleep in order to see this dream?

M.: Our sleep corresponds to Its Ignorance which hidesIts real nature from time immemorial. So It dreams the dreamof this universe. Just as the dreamer is deluded into thinkinghimself the experiencer of his dreams, so also the unchangingSelf is by illusion presented as a jiva experiencing this samsara.

101. On seeing the dreamlike body, senses, etc., the jiva isdeluded into the belief that he is the body, senses, etc.; withthem he turns round and round through the waking, dreamand deep sleep states. This forms his samsara.

102-104. D.: What is jagrat (the waking state)?M.: It is the phenomenon of the I-mode along with all the

other modes of mind and the related objects. Taking on I-nessin the gross body of the waking state, the individual goes by thename of visva, the experiencer of the waking state.

D.: What is dream?M.: After the senses are withdrawn from external activities

the impressions formed by the mental modes of the wakingstate reproduce themselves as visions in dreams. The experiencerof this subtle state is known as the taijasa.

D.: What is deep sleep (sushupti)?M.: When all the mental modes lie dormant in causal

ignorance, it is said to be deep sleep. Here the experiencer knownas prajna has the bliss of Self.

105. The jiva revolves in this merry-go-round owing to theoperation of his past karma according as it bestows waking, dreamor deep sleep experience. This is samsara. In the same way thejiva is subject to births and deaths as a result of past karma.

106. Nevertheless they are merely appearances of thedeluded mind and not real. He seems to be born and to die.

D.: How can birth and death be illusory?M.: Listen carefully to what I say.

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107-109. Just as when jiva is overcome by sleep, thebearings of the waking state give place to new ones of dream inorder to reproduce past experiences, or there is total loss of allexternal things and mental activities, so also when he isoverpowered by coma before death the present bearings arelost and the mind lies dormant. This is death. When the mindresumes the reproduction of past experiences in new settings,the phenomenon is called birth. The process of birth starts withthe man’s imagining “Here is my mother; I lie in her womb;my body has those limbs.” Then he imagines himself born intothe world, and later says “This is my father; I am his son; myage is such and such; these are my relatives and friends; this finehouse is mine” and so on. This series of new illusions beginwith the loss of former illusions in the coma before death, anddepends upon the results of past actions.

110-113. The jiva overpowered by the unreal coma beforedeath has different illusions according to his different pastactions. After death, he believes “Here is heaven; it is very lovely,I am in it; I am now a wonderful celestial being; so manycharming celestial damsels are at my service; I have nectar fordrink,” or, “Here is the region of Death; here is the God ofDeath; these are the messengers of Death; oh! they are so cruel— they pitch me into hell!” or, “Here is the region of the pitrs;or of Brahma; or of Vishnu; or of Shiva” and so on. Thusaccording to their nature, the latencies of past karma presentthemselves before the Self, who remains always the unchangingEther of Consciousness, as illusions of birth, death, passage toheaven, hell or other regions. They are only delusions of themind and not real.

114. In the Self of the Ether of Consciousness, there is thephenomenon of the universe, like a celestial city seen in midair. It is fancied to be real but is not indeed so. Names andforms make it up and it is nothing more.

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115. D.: Master, not only I but all others directly experiencethis world of sentient beings and insentient things and take it asproven and real. How is it said to be unreal?

116. M.: The world with all its contents is only super-imposed upon the Ether of Consciousness.

D.: By what is it superimposed?M.: By Ignorance of the Self.D.: How is it superimposed ?M.: As a painting of sentient beings and insentient things

presents a scene upon a background.117. D.: Whereas the scriptures declare that all this

universe was created by the will of Isvara, you say it is by one’sown ignorance. How can these two statements be reconciled?

118. M.: There is no contradiction. What the scripturessay that Isvara, by means of Maya, created the five elementsand mixed them up in diverse ways to make the diversities ofthe universe, is all false.

D.: How can the scriptures say what is false?M.: They are guides to the ignorant and do not mean

what appears on the surface.D.: How is that?M.: Man having forgotten his true nature of being the all

perfect Ether of Consciousness, is deluded by Ignorance intoidentifying himself with a body, etc., and regarding himself asan insignificant individual of mean capacity. If to him it is toldthat he is the creator of the whole universe, he will flout theidea and refuse to be guided. So coming down to his level thescriptures posit an Isvara as the creator of the universe. But it isnot the truth. However the scriptures reveal the truth to thecompetent seeker. You are now mistaking the nursery tale formetaphysical truth. In this connection you may remember thechild’s tale in Yoga Vasishta.

119-134. D.: What is it?

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M.: It is a fine story to illustrate the emptiness of thisuniverse. On hearing it the false notions of the world being realand its creation by Isvara, will all disappear. Briefly put, thestory runs as follows:-

A child asked its nurse to tell an interesting story.Accordingly she told the following:

Nurse: Once upon a time a most powerful king whosemother was barren, ruled over all the three worlds. His wordwas law to all the kings in these worlds. The barren mother’sson had extraordinary powers of illusion to make, foster andunmake worlds. At his will he could take on any one of thethree bodies, white, yellow or black. When he took on the yellowbody, he had an urge and would, like a magician, create a city.

Child: Where is that city?Nurse: It hangs in mid air.Child: What is it called?Nurse: Total Unreality.Child: How is it built up?Nurse: It has fourteen royal roads, each divided into three

sections in which there are respectively many pleasure gardens,huge mansions and seven luxurious tanks — adorned withstrings of pearls. Two lamps – one warm and the other cool —always light the city. In it the barren mother’s son built manyfine houses, some on high, some in the middle and others onlow ground. Each of them has a black velvety top, nine gateways,several windows to let in breeze, five lamps, three white pillars,and walls plastered nicely. By his magic he created fearsomephantoms, one to guard each house. As a bird enters its nest, heenters any of these houses at his will and sports at his pleasure.

135-140. With his black body, he protects these homesthrough the phantom guards. With his white body heinstantaneously reduces them to ashes. This barren woman’s sonwho like a fool repeatedly produces, protects and destroys the

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city at his whim, was once tired after his work, refreshed himselfbathing in the quaffing waters of mirage and proudly wore flowersgathered from the sky. I have seen him; he will soon come here topresent you with four strings of gems made from the lustre ofbroken fragments of glass and anklets of nacre-silver.

The child believed the tale and was pleased. So it is withthe fool who takes this world to be real.

141-148. D.: How does this story illustrate the point?M.: The child of the legend is the ignorant man of the

world; the wet nurse is the scripture which speaks of the creationby Isvara; the barren mother’s son is the Isvara born of Maya;his three bodies are the three qualities of Maya; his assumptionof the bodies is the aspect of Brahma, Vishnu or Rudra. In theyellow body Brahma who is the thread running through thewhole universe, creates it in the Ether of Consciousness whichcorresponds to mid air in the fable; its name is AbsoluteUnreality; the fourteen royal roads are the fourteen worlds; thepleasure gardens are the forests; the mansions are the mountainranges; the two lamps are the Sun and the Moon and theluxurious tanks adorned with strings of pearls are the oceansinto which so many rivers flow.

149-155. The houses built on the high, middle and lowground, are the bodies of the celestials, men and animals; thethree white pillars are the skeleton of bones; and the plaster onthe walls is the skin; the black top is the head with hair on it; thenine gateways are the nine passages in the body; the five lampsare the five senses and the phantom watchman is the ego.

Now Isvara, the king who is the son of the barren motherMaya, having built the houses of the bodies, enters into them atwill as the Jivas, sports in the company of the phantom egosand moves about aimlessly.

156-160. With the black body he functions as Vishnuotherwise Virat, and sustains the universe. With the white body

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as Rudra the Destroyer, the In-dweller in all, he withdraws thewhole universe into himself. This is his sport and he is pleasedwith it. This pleasure is said to be the king’s refreshing himself inthe waters of mirage. His pride is of his sovereignty. The blossomsfrom the sky are the attributes, omniscience and omnipotence.The anklets are heaven and hell; the four strings of glass lustre arethe four stages of Mukti — Salokya, Samipya, Sarupya and Sayujya,meaning equality in rank, condition or power and final identity.The king’s expected arrival to present the gifts is the image worship— which fulfils the prayers of the devotees.

In this manner the ignorant student of the scriptures isdeluded by his Ignorance into believing the world to be real.

161. D.: Should heaven and hell and the four stages ofbeatitude (Mukti) be all false, why should a part of the scripturesprescribe methods of gaining heaven or beatitude?

162-164. M.: On seeing her child suffer from pain in thestomach a fond mother desirous of administering pepper to thechild, but aware of the child’s dislike of pepper and love ofhoney, gently coaxes the child with a smear of honey beforeforcing the pepper into its mouth. In the same way the scripturesin their mercy, seeing the ignorant student suffer in the world,desirous of making him realise the truth, but knowing his lovefor the world and dislike of the non-dual Reality — which issubtle and hard to understand, gently coax him with the sweetpleasures of heaven, etc., before laying bare the non-dual Reality.

165. D.: How can the ideas of heaven, etc., lead him on tothe non-dual Reality?

M.: By right actions, heaven is gained; by austerities anddevotion to Vishnu, the four stages of beatitude. On knowingit a man practises what he likes among these. By repeated practicesin several rebirths his mind becomes pure and turns away fromsense enjoyments to receive the highest teaching of the non-dual Reality.

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166. D.: Master, admitting heaven, hell, etc. to be false,how can Isvara so often mentioned by the scriptures, be alsodeclared unreal?

167. M.: Well, passages dealing with Isvara in all His glory,are succeeded by others which say that Isvara is the product ofMaya, and the jiva of Ignorance (Avidya).

D.: Why do the scriptures contradict themselves withpassages of different imports?

M.: Their aim is to make the student purify his mind byhis own efforts such as good actions, austerities and devotion.To coax him, these are said to yield him pleasures. Beingthemselves insentient, these cannot of their own accord yieldfruits. So an all-powerful Isvara is said to dispense the fruits ofactions. That is how an Isvara appears on the scene. Later thescriptures say that the jiva, Isvara and the jagrat (world) are allequally false.

168. Isvara the product of illusion is no more real thanthe dream subject, the product of sleep. He is in the samecategory as the jiva, the product of ignorance, or of the dreamsubject, the product of sleep.

169-174. D.: The scriptures say that Isvara is the productof Maya and how can we say that He is of Ignorance?

M.: The Ignorance of the Self may function singly or totallyas we speak of single trees or a whole forest. The total Ignoranceof all the universe is called Maya. Its product Isvara functions asVirat in the universal waking state; as Hiranyagarbha in theuniversal dream state, and as the In-dweller in the universaldeep sleep. He is omniscient and omnipotent. Beginning withthe Will to create and ending with the entry into all creatures,this is His samsara. The individual ignorance is said to be simplyignorance. Its product the jiva functions respectively as visva,taijasa and prajna in the individual waking, dream and deepsleep states. His knowledge and capacity are limited. He is said

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to be doer and enjoyer. His samsara consists of all that liesbetween the present wakeful activities and final Liberation. Inthis way the scriptures have made it clear that Isvara, the jivaand the jagat are all illusory.

175-179. D.: Now, master, just as the ignorance of therope can give rise to the illusion only of a snake, so one’signorance may spread the illusion of oneself being a jiva. Buthow can it be extended to create the illusions of Isvara andjagat as well?

M.: Ignorance has no parts; it acts as a whole and producesall the three illusions at the same time. The jiva manifesting inthe waking and dream states, Isvara and jagat also manifest. Asthe jiva is resolved, the others are also resolved. This is provedby our experience of the waking and dream manifestations,and their disappearance in deep sleep, swoons, death andsamadhi.

Moreover simultaneous with the final annihilation of jiva-hood by knowledge the others also are finally annihilated alongwith it. The sages whose ignorance has completely been lostwith all its attendant illusions and who are aware only as theSelf, directly experience the non-dual Reality. Hence it is clearthat the Ignorance of the Self is the root cause of all the threeillusions — jiva, jagat and Isvara.

180. D.: Master, should Isvara be the illusion of Ignorance,He must manifest as such. Instead He appears as the origin ofthe universe and our creator. It does not look reasonable to saythat Isvara and the jagat are both illusory products. Instead ofappearing as our creation, He appears as our creator. Is it notcontradictory?

181-183. M.: No. In dreams the dreamer sees his fatherwho was long ago dead. Though the father is created by himselfas an illusion of dream, the dreamer feels that the other is thefather and himself the son, and that he has inherited the father’s

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property which again is his own creation. Now look how thedreamer creates individuals and things relates himself to themand thinks that they were before and he came after. So alsowith the Isvara, the jagat and the jiva. This is only the trick ofMaya who can make the impossible possible.

D.: How is Maya so powerful?M.: No wonder. See how an ordinary magician can make

a whole audience see a celestial city in mid air or how you canyourself create a wonderful world of your own in your dreams.If such is possible for individuals of mean powers, how can theother not be possible for Maya which is the universal materialcause? To conclude, all these including Isvara, jiva and jagat areillusory appearances resulting from one’s ignorance andsuperimposed on the One Reality, the Self.

This leads us to consider the ways of removing thesuperimposition.

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THE REMOTHE REMOTHE REMOTHE REMOTHE REMOVVVVVAL OFAL OFAL OFAL OFAL OFSUPERIMPOSITIONSUPERIMPOSITIONSUPERIMPOSITIONSUPERIMPOSITIONSUPERIMPOSITION

1. D.: Master, Ignorance is said to have no beginning; itfollows that it will have no end. How can the beginninglessIgnorance be dispelled? Being the ocean of mercy you can pleasetell me this.

2. M.: Yes, my child; you are intelligent and can understandsubtle things. You have said right. Truly Ignorance has no beginning,but it has an end. It is said that the rise of knowledge is the end ofIgnorance. Just as the sunrise dispels the darkness of night so alsothe light of knowledge dispels the darkness of Ignorance.

3-4. To avoid confusion, everything in the world can beconsidered by analysing its individual characteristics under thecategories: cause, nature, effect, limit and fruit. But thetranscendental Reality being non-dual is beyond all thesewhereas all else, from Maya onwards, being wrongly seen on It,are subject to the above analysis.

5. Of these, Maya has no antecedent cause because it isnot the product of anything preceding it, but remains inBrahman, self evident and without beginning. Before creationthere could be no cause for its manifestation, yet it manifestsand it must be by itself.

6. D.: Is there any authority for this statement?M.: Yes, Vasishta’s words. He says: Just as bubbles

spontaneously arise in water so also the power to manifest namesand forms rose up from the all powerful and perfect tran-scendental Self.

APAVADA

CHAPTER II

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7-9. D.: Maya cannot but have a cause. Just as clay cannotbecome a pot without the agency of a potter so also the Powerall along remaining unmanifest in Brahman can manifest onlywith Isvara’s will.

M.: In dissolution there remains only the non-dual Brahmanand no Isvara. Clearly there cannot be His will. When it is saidthat in dissolution all are withdrawn from manifestation andremain unmanifest, it means that the jivas, all the universe, andIsvara have all become unmanifest. The unmanifest Isvara cannotexercise His will. What happens is this: just as the dormant powerof sleep displays itself as dream, so also the dormant power ofMaya displays itself as this plurality, consisting of Isvara, His will,the universe and the jivas. Isvara is thus the product of Maya andHe cannot be the origin of His origin. Maya therefore has noantecedent cause. In dissolution there remains only Pure Beingdevoid of will, and admitting of no change. In creation Mayahitherto remaining unmanifest in this Pure Being, shines forth asthe mind. By the play of mind, plurality appears as Isvara, theworlds and the jivas, like magic. Maya manifest is creation, andMaya unmanifest is dissolution. Thus of its own accord, Mayaappears or withdraws itself and has thus no beginning. Thereforewe say there was no antecedent cause for it.

10-11. D.: What is its nature?M.: It is inexpressible. Because its existence is later

invalidated, it is not real; because it is factually experienced, itis not unreal; nor can it be a mixture of the two opposites thereal and the unreal. Therefore the wise say that it is indes-cribable (anirvachaniya).

D.: Now what is real and what is unreal?M.: That which is the substratum of Maya, Pure Being or

Brahman, admitting of no duality, is real. The illusoryphenomenon, consisting of names and forms, and called theuniverse, is unreal.

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D.: What can Maya be said to be?M.: Neither of the two. It is different from the real

substratum and also from the unreal phenomenon.D.: Please explain this.12-17. M.: Say there is fire; it is the substratum. The sparks

fly off from it. They are the modifications of fire. The sparksare not seen in the fire itself, but come out of it. An observationof this phenomenon makes us infer a power inherent in firewhich produces the sparks.

Clay is the substratum; a hollow sphere with a neck and openmouth is made out of it, and is called a pot. This fact makes us infera power which is neither clay nor pot but different from both.

Water is the substratum; bubbles are its effects; a powerdifferent from both is inferred.

A snake egg is the substratum and a young snake is theproduct; a power different from the egg and the young snakeis inferred.

A seed is the substratum and the sprout, its product; apower different from the seed and the sprout is inferred.

The unchanging jiva of deep sleep is the substratum anddream is the effect; a power different from the jiva and thedream is inferred after waking up from sleep.

In the same way the power laying latent in Brahmanproduces the illusion of the jagat. The substratum of this poweris Brahman and the jagat is its effect. This power cannot beeither of them, but must be different from both. It cannot bedefined. However it exists. But it remains inscrutable. Thereforewe say the ‘nature’ of Maya is indescribable.

18-20. D.: What is the ‘effect’ of Maya?M.: It consists in presenting the illusion of the jiva, Isvara

and jagat on the non-dual substratum of Brahman, by virtue ofits veiling and projecting powers.

D.: How?

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M.: As soon as the power lying dormant shows forth asmind, the latencies of the mind sprout forth and grow up liketrees which together form the universe. The mind sports withits latencies; they rise up as thoughts and materialise as thisuniverse, which is thus only a dream vision. The jivas and Isvarabeing its contents are as illusory as this day dream.

D.: Please explain their illusory character.M.: The world is an object and seen as the result of the

sport of mind. The jivas and Isvara are contained in it. Partscan be only as real as the whole. Suppose the universe ispainted in colours on a wall. The jivas and Isvara will befigures in the painting. The figures can be only as real as thepainting itself.

21-24. Here the universe is itself a product of the mindand Isvara and the jivas form parts of the same product.Therefore they must be only mental projections and nothingmore. This is clear from the Sruti which says that Maya gaverise to the illusions of Isvara and the jivas, and from the Vasishtasmriti where Vasishta says that as if by magic the latencies danceabout in the mind as, he-I-you-this-that-my son-property etc.

25-27. D.: Where does this smriti speak of Isvara, jivaand jagat?

M.: In its statement Sohamidam, i.e., He-I-this, ‘He’ meansthe unseen Isvara; ‘I’ means the jiva parading as the ego, thedoer etc.; ‘this’ means all the objective Universe. From scriptures,reasoning and experience (sruti yukti anubhava) it is clear thatthe jiva, Isvara and jagat are only mental projections.

28-29. D.: How do reasoning and experience supportthis view?

M.: With the rise of mind in waking and dream, thelatencies come into play, and the jiva, Isvara and jagat appear.With the subsidence of the latencies in deep sleep, swoon etc.,they all disappear. This is within the experience of everyone.

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Again when all the latencies are rooted out by knowledge,the jivas, Isvara and the jagat disappear once for all. This iswithin the experience of perfectly clear-sighted great sagesestablished in the non-dual Reality, beyond the jivas, Isvara andjagat. Therefore we say that these are all projections of the mind.Thus is explained the effect of Maya.

30-32. D.: What is the limit of Maya?M.: It is the knowledge resulting from an enquiry into the

sense of the Mahavakya. Because Maya is Ignorance, andIgnorance subsists on non enquiry. When non enquiry gives placeto enquiry, right knowledge results and puts an end to Ignorance.

Now listen. Ailments in the body are the results of pastkarma; they subsist on wrong diet and increase with itscontinuation. Or, the ignorance of rope, so long as it is notenquired into, projects a snake into view and otherhallucinations follow in its wake. In the same manner althoughMaya is self- evident, beginningless and spontaneous, yet itsubsists in the absence of enquiry into the nature of the Self,manifests the universe etc., and grows more massive.

33-35. With the rise of enquiry, Maya hitherto grownstrong by its absence, loses its nourishment and gradually withersaway with all its effects, namely the jagat etc. Just as in theabsence of enquiry the ignorance factor of rope made it look asnake but suddenly disappeared with the rise of enquiry, so alsomaya flourishes in ignorance and disappears with the rise ofenquiry. Just as the rope snake and the power which producesthis illusion persist before enquiry, but after enquiry end insimple rope, so also Maya and its effect, the jagat, persist beforeenquiry, but end in pure Brahman afterwards.

36-38. D.: How can a single thing appear in two differentways?

M.: Brahman, the non-dual-Pure-Being, presents itself as thejagat before enquiry, and shows itself in Its true form after enquiry.

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See how before proper consideration clay appears a potand afterwards as clay only; or gold appears as ornaments andthen is found to be only gold. Similarly with Brahman too. Afterenquiry Brahman is realised to be unitary, non-dual, impartite,and unchanged in the past, present or future. In It there isnothing like Maya, or its effect, such as the jagat. This realisationis known as the Supreme Knowledge and the limit of Ignorance.Thus is described the ‘limit’ of Maya.

39. D.: What is the ‘fruit’ of Maya?M.: That it fruitlessly vanishes into nothing, is its fruit.

A hare’s horn is mere sound having no significance. So it is withMaya, mere sound without any meaning. Realised sages havefound it so.

40-43. D.: Then why do not all agree on this point?M.: The ignorant believe it to be real. Those who are

thoughtful will say it is indescribable. Realised sages say that it isnon existent like the hare’s horn. It thus appears in these threeways. People will speak of it from their own points of view.

D.: Why do the ignorant consider it real?M.: Even when a lie is told to frighten a child, that there is

a spirit, the child believes it to be true. Similarly the ignorantare dazed by Maya and believe it to be real. Those who enquireinto the nature of the Real Brahman and of the unreal jagat inthe light of the scriptures, finding Maya different from eitherand unable to determine its nature, say it is indescribable. Butsages who had attained Supreme Knowledge through enquiry,say, “Like a mother burnt down to ashes by her daughter, Mayareduced to ashes by Knowledge is non existent at any time.”

44-46. D.: How can Maya be compared to a mother burntdown to ashes by her daughter?

M.: In the process of enquiry, Maya becomes more andmore transparent and turns into Knowledge. Knowledge is thusborn of Maya, and is therefore said to be the daughter of Maya.

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Maya so long flourishing on non-enquiry comes to its last dayson enquiry. Just as a crab brings forth its young only to dieitself, so also in the last days of enquiry Maya brings forthKnowledge for its own undoing. Immediately the daughter,Knowledge, burns her down to ashes.

D.: How can the progeny kill the parent?M.: In a bamboo forest, the bamboos move in the wind,

rub against one another and produce fire which burns down theparent trees. So also Knowledge born of Maya burns Maya toashes. Maya remains only in name like a hare’s horn. Thereforethe sages declare it non existent. Moreover, the very name impliesits unreality. The names are Avidya and Maya. Of these the formermeans ‘Ignorance or that which is not’ (ya n iv±te sa Aiv±a); again,‘Maya is that which is not’ (ya ma sa maya). Therefore it is simplenegation. Thus that it fruitlessly vanishes into nothing is its ‘fruit’.

47-49. D.: Master, Maya turns into Knowledge. Thereforeit cannot be said to vanish fruitlessly as nothing.

M.: Only if the Knowledge, the modified Maya, be real,Maya can be said to be real. But this Knowledge is itself false.Therefore Maya is false.

D.: How is Knowledge said to be false?M.: The fire from the friction of the trees burns them

down and then dies out; the clearing nut carries down theimpurities of water and itself settles down with them. Similarlythis Knowledge destroys Ignorance and itself perishes. Since itis also finally resolved, the ‘fruit’ of Maya can be only unreal.

50-52. D.: Should Knowledge also vanish in the end, howcan samsara, the effect of Ignorance, be eradicated?

M.: Samsara, the effect of Ignorance, is unreal likeKnowledge. One unreality can be undone by another unreality.

D.: How can it be done?53. M.: A dream subject’s hunger is satisfied by dream-

food. The one is unreal as the other and yet serves the purpose.

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Similarly, though Knowledge is unreal, yet it serves the purpose.Bondage and release are only false ideas of Ignorance. As theappearance and disappearance of rope snake are equally false,so are also bondage and release in Brahman.

54-55. To conclude, the Supreme Truth is only the non-dual Brahman. All else is false and does not exist at any time.The srutis support it saying “Nothing is created or destroyed;there is no bondage or deliverance; no one is bound or desirousof release; there is no aspirant, no practiser and no one liberated.This is the Supreme Truth.” Removal of Superimposition thusconsists in the knowledge of non-dual Reality, Pure Being,beyond Maya and its effects. Its realisation is Liberation whilealive in the body (Jivanmukti).

56. Only a careful student of this chapter can be desirousof knowing the process of enquiry into the Self as a means ofundoing the superimposition of Ignorance. The seeker fit forsuch enquiry must possess the four fold qualities which will bedealt with in the next chapter. Then the method of enquiry willbe dealt with.

A competent seeker must carefully study these two chaptersbefore proceeding further.

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THE MEANS OF ATHE MEANS OF ATHE MEANS OF ATHE MEANS OF ATHE MEANS OF ACCOMPLISHMENTCCOMPLISHMENTCCOMPLISHMENTCCOMPLISHMENTCCOMPLISHMENT

1. To the question “How can there be samsara for theSupreme Self of Being-Knowledge-Bliss?”, the sages answer“When unmanifest, the power of the Self is called Maya, andwhen manifest, the same is mind. This mode of Maya, theinscrutable Mind, is the sprout of samsara for the self”.

D.: Who has said that mind is indescribable?2-3. M.: Vasishta has said to Rama. In the non-dual

Consciousness the bhava which, different from knowledge thatis real and different from insentience that is unreal, tending tocreate, projects the latencies as this thing and that thing, mixestogether the conscious and unconscious, and makes them appearunder the categories, “the sentient” and “the insentient”, itselfof the nature of both the sentient and insentient; alwaysvacillating and changeful is mind. Therefore it is indescribable.

4. Though itself unchanging, the Supreme Self associatedwith the wrongly superimposed mind, appears to be changeful.

D.: How is that?M.: Just as a Brahmin who is drunk, behaves strangely

when in the power of liquors, so too the Self though unchangedby nature, associated now with mind, appears changed as thejiva wallowing in this samsara. Hence, the Self ’s samsara is notother than mind. The srutis say so.

5. Mind being the samsara, must be investigated. Associatedwith mind which according to its modes assumes the shapes ofobjects, the man seems to undergo the same changes. This eternalsecret is disclosed in the Maitryiniya Upanishad. This also is

SADHANA

CHAPTER III

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confirmed by our experience and by positive and negativeinduction.

6-7. D.: How is it confirmed by our experience?M.: When in deep sleep the mind lies quiescent, the Self

remains without change and without samsara. When in dreamand waking, the mind manifests, the Self seems changed andcaught up in the samsara. Everyone knows it by experience. Itis evident from sruti, smriti, logic and experience that this samsarais nothing but mind itself. How can any one dispute this pointwhich is so obvious?

8-9. D.: How does association with mind entangle theSelf in samsara?

M.: Mind whose nature is always to be thinking of this andthat, functions in the two modes — the ‘I’ mode and ‘this’ mode,as already mentioned in Chapter I on Superimposition. Of thesetwo, the I-mode has always the single concept ‘I’, whereas thethis-mode varies according to the quality operating at the time,satva, rajas or tamas, i.e., clearness, activity or dullness.

D.: Who has said so before?10-11. M.: Sri Vidyaranyaswami has said that the mind

has these qualities, satva, rajas and tamas and changesaccordingly. In satva, dispassion, peace, beneficence, etc.,manifest; in rajas, desire, anger, greed, fear, efforts, etc., manifest;in tamas, sloth, confusion, dullness, etc.

12-14. Unchanged Pure Knowledge by nature, the SupremeSelf when associated with the mind changing according to theoperative qualities, becomes identified with it.

D.: How can that be?M.: You see how water is of itself cold and tasteless. Yet

by association, it can be hot, sweet, bitter, sour, etc. Similarlythe Self, by nature Being-Knowledge-Bliss, when associatedwith the I-mode, appears as the ego. Just as cold water in unionwith heat becomes hot, so also the Blissful Self in union with

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the ‘I’- mode becomes the misery-laden ego. Just as water,originally tasteless, becomes sweet, bitter or sour according toits associations, so also the Self of Pure Knowledge appearsdispassionate, peaceful, beneficent, or passionate, angry, greedy,or dull and indolent, according to the quality of the this-modeat the moment.

15. The sruti says that the Self associated with prana, etc.,appears respectively as prana, mind, intellect, the earth and theother elements, desire, anger, dispassion, etc.

16. Accordingly associated with the mind, the Self seemschanged to jiva, sunk in the misery of endless samsara, beingdeluded by innumerable illusions, like I, you, it, mine, yours, etc.

17. D.: Now that samsara has fallen to the lot of the Self,how can it be got rid of?

M.: With complete stillness of mind, samsara will disappearroot and branch. Otherwise there will be no end to samsara,even in millions of aeons (Kalpakotikala).

18. D.: Cannot samsara be got rid of by any means otherthan making the mind still?

M.: Absolutely by no other means; neither the Vedas, northe shastras nor austerities, nor karma, nor vows, nor gifts, norrecital of scriptures of mystic formulae (mantras), nor worship,nor anything else, can undo the samsara. Only stillness of mindcan accomplish the end and nothing else.

19. D.: The scriptures declare that only Knowledge cando it. How then do you say that stillness of the mind puts anend to samsara?

M.: What is variously described as Knowledge, Liberation,etc., in the scriptures, is but stillness of mind.

D.: Has any one said so before?20-27. M.: Sri Vasishta had said: When by practice the

mind stands still, all illusions of samsara disappear, root andbranch. Just as when the ocean of milk was churned for its

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nectar, it was all rough, but became still and clear after thechurn (viz., mount Mandara) was taken out, so also the mindbecoming still, the samsara falls to eternal rest.

D.: How can the mind be brought to stillness?M.: By dispassion, abandoning all that is dear to oneself,

one can by one’s efforts accomplish the task with ease. Withoutthis peace of mind, Liberation is impossible. Only when thewhole objective world is wiped out clean by a mind disillusionedas a consequence of discerning knowledge that all that is notBrahman is objective and unreal, the Supreme Bliss will result.Otherwise in the absence of peace of mind, however much anignorant man may struggle and creep on in the deep abyss ofthe shastras, he cannot gain Liberation.

Only that mind which by practice of yoga, having lost allits latencies, has become pure and still like a lamp in a domewell protected from breeze, is said to be dead. This death ofmind is the highest fulfilment. The final conclusion of all theVedas is that Liberation is nothing but mind stilled.

For Liberation nothing can avail, not wealth, relatives,friends, karma consisting of movements of the limbs, pilgrimageto sacred places, baths in sacred waters, life in celestial regions,austerities however severe, or anything but a still mind. In similarstrain many sacred books teach that Liberation consists in doingaway with the mind. In several passages in the Yoga Vasishta, thesame idea is repeated, that the Bliss of Liberation can be reachedonly by wiping out the mind, which is the root cause of samsara,and thus of all misery.

28. In this way to kill the mind by a knowledge of thesacred teaching, reasoning and one’s own experience, is to undothe samsara. How else can the miserable round of births anddeaths be brought to a standstill? And how can freedom resultfrom it? Never. Unless the dreamer awakes, the dream does notcome to an end nor the fright of being face to face with a tiger

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in the dream. Similarly unless the mind is disillusioned, theagony of samsara will not cease. Only the mind must be madestill. This is the fulfilment of life.

29-30. D.: How can the mind be made still?M.: Only by Sankhya. Sankhya is the process of enquiry

coupled with knowledge. The realised sages declare that the mindhas its root in non-enquiry and perishes by an informed enquiry.

D.: Please explain this process.M.: This consists of sravana, manana, nididhyasana and

samadhi, i.e., hearing, reasoning, meditation and Blissful Peace, asmentioned in the scriptures. Only this can make the mind still.

31-32. There is also an alternative. It is said to be yoga.D.: What is yoga?M.: Meditation on Pure Being free from qualities.D.: Where is this alternative mentioned and how?M.: In the Srimad Bhagavad Gita, Sri Bhagavan Krishna

has said: What is gained by Sankhya can also be gained by yoga.Only he who knows that the result of the two processes is thesame, can be called a realised sage.

33-34. D.: How can the two results be identical?M.: The final limit is the same for both because both of

them end in stillness of mind. This is samadhi or Blissful Peace.The fruit of samadhi is Supreme Knowledge; this remains thesame by whichever process gained.

D.: If the fruit is the same for both, the final purpose canbe served by only one of them. Why should two processes bementioned instead of only one?

M.: In the world, seekers of truth are of different grades ofdevelopment. Out of consideration for them, Sri Bhagavan hasmentioned these two in order to offer a choice.

35. D.: Who is fit for the path of enquiry (Sankhya)?M.: Only a fully qualified seeker is fit, for he can succeed

in it and not others.

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36-37. D.: What are the sadhanas or requisites for thisprocess?

M.: The knowers say that the sadhanas consist of an abilityto discern the real from the unreal, no desire for pleasures hereor hereafter, cessation of activities (karma) and a keen desire tobe liberated. Not qualified with all these four qualities, howeverhard one may try, one cannot succeed in enquiry. Thereforethis fourfold sadhana is the sine qua non for enquiry.

38. To begin with, a knowledge of the distinctivecharacteristics of these sadhanas is necessary. As already pointedout, these distinctive characteristics are of the categories (hetu,Sv-av, kayR, Avi0, fl) cause, nature, effect, limit and fruit. Theseare now described.

39-44. Discernment (viveka) can arise only in a purifiedmind. Its ‘nature’ is the conviction gained by the help of sacredteachings that only Brahman is real and all else false. Always toremember this truth is its ‘effect’. Its end (avadhi) is to be settledunwavering in the truth that only Brahman is and all else isunreal. Desirelessness (vairagya) is the result of the outlook thatthe world is essentially faulty. Its ‘nature’ is to renounce theworld and have no desire for anything in it. Its ‘effect’ is to turnaway in disgust from all enjoyments as from vomit. It ends(avadhi) in treatment with contempt of all pleasures, earthly orheavenly, as if they were vomit or burning fire or hell.

Cessation of activities (uparati) can be the outcome of theeight fold yoga (astangayoga), namely, yama, niyama, asana,pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana and samadhi, i.e., selfrestraint, discipline, steady posture, control of breath, controlof senses, mind collected to truth, meditation and peace. Its‘nature’ consists in restraining the mind. Its ‘effect’ is to ceasefrom worldly activities. It ends (avadhi) in forgetfulness of theworld as if in sleep, owing to the ending of activities. Desire tobe liberated (mumukshutva) begins with the association with

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realised sages. Its ‘nature’ is the yearning for liberation. Its ‘effect’is to stay with one’s master. It ends (avadhi) in giving up allstudy of shastras and performance of religious rites.

When these have reached their limits as mentioned above,the sadhanas are said to be perfect.

45-47. Should only one or more of these sadhanas beperfect but not all of them, the person will after Death gaincelestial regions. If all of them are perfect, they together quicklymake the person thoroughly capable of enquiry into the Self.Only when all the sadhanas are perfect is enquiry possible; otherwise,not. Even if one of them remains undeveloped, it obstructsenquiry. With this we shall deal presently.

48-49. Dispassion, etc., remaining undeveloped, discern-ment, though perfect, cannot by itself remove the obstacles,to enquiry into the Self. You see how many are well read inVedanta Shastra. They must all possess this virtue, but theyhave not cultivated the others, dispassion etc. Therefore theycannot undertake the enquiry into the Self. This fact makesit plain that discernment unattended by dispassion etc.,cannot avail.

50-51. D.: How is it that even scholars in Vedanta havenot succeeded in the pursuit of enquiry?

M.: Though they always study Vedanta and give lessons toothers yet in the absence of desirelessness they do not practisewhat they have learnt.

D.: And what do they do otherwise?M.: Like a parrot they reproduce the Vedantic jargon but

do not put the teachings into practice.D.: What does Vedanta teach?M.: The Vedanta teaches a man to know that all but the

non-dual Brahman is laden with misery, therefore to leave offall desires for enjoyment, to be free from love or hate,thoroughly to cut the knot of the ego appearing as ‘I’, you,

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he, this, that, mine and yours, to rid himself of the notion of‘I’ and ‘mine’, to live unconcerned with the pairs of oppositesas heat and cold, pain and pleasure, etc., to remain fixed inthe perfect knowledge of the equality of all and making nodistinction of any kind, never to be aware of anything butBrahman, and always to be experiencing the Bliss of the non-dual Self.

Though Vedanta is read and well understood, if dispassionis not practised, the desire for pleasures will not fade away. Thereis no dislike for pleasing things and the desire for them cannotleave the person. Because desire is not checked, love, anger,etc., the ego or the ‘false-I’ in the obnoxious body, the sense ofpossession represented by ‘I’ or ‘mine’ of things agreeable tothe body, the pairs of opposites like pleasure and pain, and falsevalues, will not disappear. However well read one may be, unlessthe teachings are put into practice, one is not really learned.Only like a parrot the man will be repeating that Brahmanalone is real and all else is false.

D.: Why should he be so?M.: The knowers say that like a dog delighting in offal,

this man also delights in external pleasures. Though always busywith Vedanta, reading and teaching it, he is no better than amean dog.

52. Having read all the shastras and well grounded inthem, they grow conceited that they are all knowing,accomplished and worthy of respect; filled with love and hatethey presume themselves respectable; they are only packassesesteemed for carrying heavy loads over long distances indifficult and tortuous ways. They need not be considered asregards non-dual Truth. In the same strain Vasishta has spokenmuch more to Rama.

53. D.: Have there been those who being well read in theshastras have not practised their teachings?

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M.: Oh, many. We have also read of them in the puranas.Once there was a Brahmin, Brahma Sarma by name. He waswell versed in the Vedas and the Vedanta and otherwise anaccomplished man too. He would not practise what he hadlearnt but would give lessons in it to others. Filled with loveand hate, transgressing the code of conduct by acting accordingto greed, and otherwise enjoying himself according to his ownsweet will, after death he passed to hell. For the same reason, somany more also went the same way.

In the world we see so many learned pandits consumed bypride and malice. No doubt a study of Vedanta makes onediscerning. But if this is not accompanied by dispassion etc., itis useless and does not lead to enquiry.

54-56. D.: Will discernment together with dispassion meetthe end?

M.: No. In the absence of cessation of activities, these twoare not enough for a successful pursuit of enquiry. In its absencethere will be no desire to enquire into the Self. How can wespeak of success in it?

D.: What will a man with dispassion do if he does not taketo enquiry into the Self?

M.: Activities not ceasing, there is no tranquillity; beingdesireless he dislikes all enjoyments and cannot find pleasure inhome, wealth, arts, etc.; so he renounces them, retires intosolitary forests and engages in severe but fruitless austerities.The case of King Sikhidhvaja is an example of this.

57-59. D.: Then will discernment together with desire-lessness and cessation of activities achieve the end?

M.: Not without the desire to be liberated. If this desire iswanting, there will be no incentive to enquire into the Self.

D.: What will the man be doing then?M.: Being desireless and peaceful, he will not make any

effort but remain indifferent.

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D.: Have there been men with these three qualities whodid not take to enquiry into the Self?

M.: Yes. Dispassion is implied in all austerities; the mindtoo remains one pointed for tapasvis; yet they cannot enquireinto the Self.

D.: What do they do then?M.: Averse to external pursuits, with their minds con-

centrated, they will always remain austere in animated suspenselike that of deep sleep, but not enquire into the Self. As aninstance in point, the Ramayana says of Sarabhanga rishi thatafter all his tapasya he went to heaven.

D.: Does not heaven form part of the fruits of enquiry?M.: No. Enquiry must end in Liberation, and this is

freedom from repeated births and deaths which does notadmit of transit from one region to another. Sarabhanga’scase indicates that he could not and did not enquire into theSelf. Therefore all the four qualifications are essential forenquiry.

60-61. A simple desire to be liberated unaccompanied bythe other three qualities will not be enough. By an intense desirefor liberation a man may take to enquiry but if otherwiseunqualified, he must fail in his attempt. His case will be likethat of a lame man wistfully yearning for honey in a honeycomb high up on a tree; he cannot reach it and must remainunhappy. Or, the seeker may approach a master, surrender tohim and profit by his guidance.

D.: What authority is there for saying that a man nototherwise qualified but intensely desirous of liberation remainsever unhappy?

62. M.: In the Suta Samhita it is said that those desirous ofenjoyments and yet yearning for liberation are surely bitten bythe deadly serpent of samsara and therefore dazed by its poison.This is the authority.

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In the view that all the four qualities must be together andin full, there is complete agreement between the srutis, reasonand experience. Otherwise even if one of them is wanting,enquiry cannot be pursued to success, but after death regions ofmerit will be gained. When all the four qualities are perfect andtogether present, enquiry is fruitful.

63-69. D.: In conclusion who are fit for enquiry intothe Self?

M.: Only those who have all the four requisite qualities infull, are fit, and not others, whether versed in Vedas and shastrasor otherwise highly accomplished, nor practisers of severeausterities, nor those strictly observing the religious rites or vowsor reciting mantras, nor worshippers of any kind, nor thosegiving away large gifts, nor wandering pilgrims etc. Just as theVedic rites are not for the non-regenerate so also enquiry is notfor the unqualified.

D.: Can want of requisite qualities disqualify even a verylearned scholar?

M.: Be he learned in all the sacred lore or ignorant of all ofit, only the four fold requisites can qualify a man for enquiry.The sruti says: “The one whose mind is in equipoise, sensescontrolled, whose activities have ceased and who possessesfortitude” is fit for this. From this it follows that others are notcompetent but only those who are possessing the four fold virtues.

70. D.: Is any distinction made amongst seekers who arecompetent?

M.: For enquiry into the Self there is absolutely nodistinction bearing on caste, stage of life or other similar matters.Be the seeker the foremost scholar, pandit, illiterate man, child,youth, old man, bachelor, householder, tapasvi, sanyasi, brahmin,kshatriya, vaisya, sudra, a chandala or a woman, only these fourqualifications make up the seeker. This is the undisputed viewof the vedas and shastras.

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71. D.: This cannot be. How can illiterate men, women andchandalas be qualified to the exclusion of a pandit learned in theshastras? He must certainly be more qualified than others. You saythat a knowledge of the shastras is no qualification but practice oftheir teachings is. No one can practise what he has not known.How can an illiterate person qualify himself in the requisite manner?

M.: In reply I ask you and you tell me — how does thelearned man qualify himself?

D.: Because he has known the teachings of the shastrasthat he should not do karma for selfish ends but dedicate it toGod, he will do so; his mind will be purified; gradually he willacquire the dispassion etc., needed for enquiry. Now tell mehow an illiterate man can qualify himself.

M.: He also can. Though not learned now, he might havelearnt the teachings in preceding births, done actions dedicatedto God; his mind being already pure enough, he can now readilyacquire the qualities needed for enquiry into the Self.

72. D.: In the illiterate man, should the sadhanas acquiredin preceding births and later lying as latencies, now manifestthemselves, why should not his learning acquired in those birthssimilarly manifest itself now?

M.: Some of his past karma may obstruct only the learningfrom re-manifesting itself.

D.: If the learning is obstructed, how is not the sadhanaalso obstructed from manifestation?

M.: Though the learning is obstructed, the fruits of hisvaluable labour cannot be lost; he cannot lose his competencefor enquiry.

73. D.: What would happen if his four fold sadhanas wereobstructed as well as his learning?

M.: The result would be that for want of the requisitequalities neither the scholar nor the other would be fit forenquiry. Both would be equal.

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74-76. D.: No. This cannot be. Though not alreadyqualified, the scholar having known the teachings can put theminto practice and gradually qualify himself, whereas the otherwith all his studies had not already succeeded in his precedingbirths, and what hope can there be now that he has forgottenwhat he had learnt and his sadhanas are obstructed? Obviouslyhe cannot be successful in enquiry.

M.: Not so. Though illiterate a man anxious for liberationwill approach a master, learn from him the essence of thescriptures, earnestly practise the teachings and succeed in theend. Just as a worldly man ignorant of scriptures yet desirous ofheaven, seeks guidance from a master and by observance,worship and discipline, gains his end, so also by a master’steachings even an illiterate man can certainly benefit as muchas the scholar with his knowledge.

77-78. D.: Religious rites bear fruits only according to theearnestness of the man. Only if the seeker of Truth is earnestcan a master’s guidance act in the same manner. Otherwise howcan it be?

M.: Just as earnestness is the essential factor for reapingfruits from karma, so it is with the practice of sadhanas by thelearned scholar or the master’s disciple. Karma or sadhana cannotsucceed if interest is wanting in them. A scholar or an illiterateman reaps the fruits of karma according to the interest he takesin its performance. One who is not earnest need not be con-sidered in any matter concerning the Vedas or a master.

79. A scholar or an illiterate man, if he has not alreadyqualified himself as aforesaid, but is now desirous of liberation,should in right earnest practise the sadhanas so that he may qualifyhimself now at least. He will later be fit for enquiry. So nodistinction can be made between a scholar and an illiterate man.

80. D.: If so, regarding fitness for enquiry into the Self,how does a scholar differ from an illiterate man?

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M.: The difference lies only in the learning and not in thepractice of sadhana or enquiry.

81-82. D.: No. This cannot be. Though learning does notmake any difference in sadhana, it must certainly weigh in favourof the scholar in the pursuit of enquiry.

M.: Not so. Shastra is not the means for enquiry. The meansconsist of desirelessness etc. Only these can qualify a man forenquiry and a learning of the shastras does not make anydifference. Therefore a scholar has no advantage over an illiterateman in the field of enquiry.

83-85. D.: Granted that dispassion etc. form the meansfor success in enquiry, even with the necessary sadhanas theenquiry into the Self must be pursued only in the light of theshastras. Therefore the study of the shastras should be indis-pensable for the successful pursuit of enquiry.

M.: Nonsense! No Shastra is required to know the Self.Does any one look into the Shastra for the Self? Surely not.

D.: Only if the Self is already known, Shastra will not berequired for enquiry into the Self. But the seeker being deludedhas not known his true nature. How can an illiterate man realisethe Self without studying the shastras which deal with the natureof the Self? He cannot. Therefore the shastras must be learnt asa preliminary to realisation.

M.: In that case the knowledge of the Self got from theshastras will be like that of heaven mentioned in the Vedas,i.e., indirect and not directly experienced. This knowledgecorresponds to hearsay and cannot be direct perception. Justas the knowledge of the form of Vishnu always remains indirectand there is no direct perception of the four armed being oragain the knowledge of heaven can only be indirect in thisworld, so also the knowledge of the Self contained in theshastras can only be indirect. This leaves the man where hewas, just as ignorant as before. Only the knowledge of direct

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experience can be true and useful; the Self is to be realisedand not to be talked about.

86-88. D.: Has any one said so before?M.: Sri Vidyaranyaswami has said in Dhyana Deepika:

The Knowledge of the figure of Vishnu gained from shastrasthat He has four arms, holding a disc, a conch, etc., is onlyindirect and cannot be direct. The description is intended toserve as a mental picture for worship and no one can see itface to face. Similarly to know from the shastras that the Selfis Being-Knowledge-Bliss amounts to indirect knowledge andcannot be the same as experience. For the Self is the inmostbeing of the individual or the consciousness witnessing thefive sheaths; it is Brahman. This not being realised, a superficialknowledge is all that is gained by reading the shastras. It isonly indirect knowledge.

D.: Vishnu or heaven being different from the Self canonly be objective whereas the Self is subjective and itsknowledge, however gained, must be only direct and cannotbe indirect.

M.: Although spontaneously and directly the Vedantateaches the Supreme Truth, “That thou art” meaning that theinmost being of the individual is Brahman, yet enquiry is theonly sure means of Self realisation. Sastric knowledge is notenough, for it can only be indirect. Only the experience resultingfrom the enquiry of the Self can be direct knowledge.

89-90. Vasishta also has said to the same effect. Shastra,Guru and upadesa are all traditional and do not straightwaymake the seeker directly realise the Self. The purity of the seeker’smind is the sole means for realisation and not shastra nor theguru. The self can be realised by one’s own acute discernmentand by no other means. All shastras agree on this point.

91. From this it is clear that except by enquiry the Self cannever be realised, not even by learning Vedanta.

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92. D.: The Self must be realised only by a critical study ofthe shastras. Otherwise what can be the enquiry into the Selfbut a critical and analytical study of the shastras?

93. M.: In the body, senses etc., the concept “I” persists. Witha one pointed mind turned inwards to look out for this “I” or theSelf, which is the inmost Being within the five sheaths, is the enquiryinto the Self. To seek elsewhere outside the body by an oral recitalof Vedanta Shastra or a critical study of its words, cannot be calledenquiry into the Self which can only be a thorough investigationinto the true nature of the Self by a keen mind.

94-96. D.: Can the Self not be known by reading andunderstanding the shastras?

M.: No. For the Self is Being-Knowledge-Bliss, differentfrom the gross, subtle and causal bodies, witnessing the threestates of waking, dream and deep sleep. Always to exercise thevocal organs in reading the shastras, or with a thoroughknowledge of grammar, logic and diction to critically examinethe scripture and make out its meaning, cannot reveal the Selfwhich is within.

D.: How can it be realised?M.: By the mind to examine the nature of the five sheaths,

by experience to determine them, then to discard each of themstep by step “this is not the Self — this is not the Self”, and bymind thus grown subtle to look for the Self and realise It as thewitnessing Consciousness lying beyond the five sheaths — formsthe whole process. The Self cannot be seen without. It is over-spread by and lies hidden in the five sheaths. In order to find It,the intellect must be made to turn inwards and search within,not to look for It in the shastras. Will any man in his sensessearch in a forest for a thing lost in his home? The search must bein the place where the thing lies hidden. In the same way the Selfcovered over by the five sheaths must be looked for within themand not among the shastras. The shastras are not the place for It.

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97. D.: True, the Self cannot be found in the shastras.From them a scholar can learn the nature of the five sheaths,intellectually examine, experience and discard them, in orderto find and realise the Self. How can the other man ignorant ofthe nature of the Self or of the five sheaths pursue the enquiry?

M.: Just as the scholar learns from books, so the other learnsfrom the master. Later, enquiry remains the same for both.

98-99. D.: Does it follow that a master is necessary for anilliterate man and not for a scholar?

M.: Scholar or illiterate, no one can succeed without a master.From the beginning of time, unable to realise the Self withouta master, the seekers even learned in all the shastras always soughta master to enlighten them. Narada went to Sanatkumara; Indrato Brahma; Suka to king Janaka. Unless the master is gracious tohim, no man can ever be liberated.

100-101. D.: Has any one illiterate been liberated by Guru’sGrace only?

M.: Yes. Yagnavalkya helped his wife Maitreyi to beliberated. Many other women ignorant of the shastras

[lamp of non-dual knowledge]...1 advaita bodha deepika advaita bodha deepika or the lamp of non-dual...

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